Despite The Racial Demagogues And The Media Hype Of The O.j. Simpson Trial, The `Decent Majority' Will Heal America

October 19, 1995|By Coretta Scott King, Los Angeles Times Syndicate. and Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., is the founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. This piece appeared in Global Viewpoint.

ATLANTA — The reaction to the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial and the Oct. 16 Million Man March on Washington has left many with growing concerns about the future of race relations in America.

Many white Americans have expressed anger at the Simpson verdict, which they believe ignored compelling evidence of his guilt. Black Americans have in turn expressed a similar dismay that so many whites could ignore clear evidence of corruption of evidence due to police racism and dishonesty.

In the wake of the Simpson verdict, the large turnout at the March on Washington also laid bare the massive dimensions of discontent over racial injustice in the United States.

Neither the Simpson verdict nor the Million Man March revealed anything new. The pain of racial conflict and injustice is a festering wound on our national psyche which goes back centuries.

Confusion, misunderstanding, suspicion, distrust, polarization and fear are the words that all too often best define the character of race relations in the U.S. Somehow, we have to do better.

Without denying the magnificent progress we have made since the Civil Rights Movement began in 1955, racism still rigidly defines the limits our our efforts to build community in the U.S. As my husband, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Racism is the hound of hell which dogs the tracks of civilization."

Racism pervades every institution of American society. In employment, for example, only one African-American has headed a Fortune 500 corporation. Discrimination in hiring, promotion, layoffs and firing still prevents countless black workers from achieving decent living standards.

The unemployment rate for black workers is today more than double the rate for their white counterparts. The jobless rate for black teenagers is triple the rate for white teenagers.

America remains a nation of mostly segregated neighborhoods. Numerous studies have documented patterns of "redlining" (denying credit according to boundaries drawn to exclude certain minority neighborhoods) and other forms of racial discrimination in home and business loans.

In the criminal justice system, we find that the death penalty is 11 times more likely to be carried out when the victim was white. Black defendants are far more likely to be represented by overworked public defenders and convicted of crimes.

Right-wing politicians and media demagogues who profit from racial polarization have launched a massive propaganda campaign to destroy the once-viable national consensus in favor of the principles of affirmative action. Eliminating affirmative action, which has been an effective tool for reducing racial bias in employment and education, and replacing it with nothing, will only increase discrimination and racial polarization.

Racism frustrates community and deprives everyone of the ability to learn from each other and grow together for the common good. "We have to be together before we can learn to live together," my husband once said.

The Million Man March was primarily concerned with renewal of the black community in the U.S. But I think this is also a good time for white Americans to do some soul searching about the racism, both conscious and inadvertent, in their own lives, and begin to ask and honestly answer some tough questions:

Can a truly great democracy tolerate depression-level unemployment for one racial group, year after year? Why are there no African-Americans heading the largest corporations? Do black kids really have the same chance for a decent job or education as white kids?

The racial polarization that has occurred as a result of the Simpson trial will be short-lived in the minds of fair-minded people who are the majority in America. But the entrenched racism that has been with us for centuries will not disappear without decisive action.

We must reclaim the moral leadership that was so effective during the Civil Rights Movement. The values of compassion, tolerance and active nonviolence that empowered Martin and the movement he led are needed to lift the nation from the mire of racial injustice and conflict.

We can no longer afford to allow the national discussion about race relations to be framed by bizarre events like the Simpson case, which distort the reality. We must begin to more directly and pro-actively address the challenge of improving race relations in our homes and places of employment, education and worship.

In recent years, we have seen the emergence of race relations training programs in industry and schools.

This is a good beginning, but much more is needed. Race relations councils, which mediate disputes and offer pro-active training, should be a feature of every high school. Public school textbooks must do a better job of telling the story of black contributions to American history and culture.

Business and industry should take steps to insure that diversity is not merely a buzzword for public relations, but a heartfelt commitment that is reflected at every level of management and employment.

Bold action could reap impressive rewards for industries which have the courage and faith to invest in the black community.

In every major community in the U.S. there are people of all races who are working together on hundreds of civic and school projects, united in their determination to make the American dream a reality for the next generation. They are the true patriots, the bridge-builders and healers who give the nation its best hope. If the leaders of industry, who control most of the wealth in the United States, will emulate their vision and commitment, we might soon see a revolution of hope and healing in race relations in the United States.

The chasm between races is deep and wide, but it need not be permanent if the decent majority will not be swayed by the polarizing demagogues, and will remain focused on building bridges of understanding and friendship, cooperation and unity.